While KTM India is yet to make an announcement about the launch of the 790 Duke, a new report claims that the motorcycle could arrive next month. Motoring World suggests that the Austrian brand would set up an all-new advanced assembly line at Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi plant. The set up would be supervised and operated by a team of officials from Austria to ensure KTM quality standards.
Also read: KTM 250 Duke ABS launched in India at INR 1.94 lakh
The report reveals juicy details about the components that would be used on the upcoming middleweight naked roadster. The 790 Duke would arrive in India via the CKD route with certain parts localised. Parts that would be sourced from local vendors include lights, indicators, and wiring. However, components like engine, chassis, and suspensions would be imported. The report claims that the first 100 units of the motorcycle bike have already arrived in the country for R&D and service training purposes.
The motorcycle would reportedly arrive at an introductory price tag of approximately INR 6.5 lakh (ex-showroom), which would make it a steal. While that price looks too optimistic, and reports in the past have hinted at INR 8.5 lakh ex-showroom tag, we wouldn’t be shocked to see an aggressive strategy – something that KTM has been doing since the launch of 200 Duke in 2012. At a price mentioned above levels, it would undercut the Kawasaki Z900, Triumph Street Triple and Ducati Monster.
Power comes from a 799cc, liquid-cooled LC8c parallel-twin motor that delivers 105 PS of maximum power at 9,000 rpm and 86 Nm of peak torque at 8,000 revs. The engine gets two counter-balancer shafts to filter out vibrations. The engine is mated to a PASC slip-assist clutch enabled 6-speed transmission that gets quickshift (both up and down) assist. The ride-by-wire tech allows multiple riding modes. The 790 Duke would come with four-rider modes – sport, street, rain and track. Other rider aids include switchable ABS, traction control, cornering ABS, and wheelie control.
Shock absorption department includes WP sourced 43 mm USD front forks and preload adjustable monoshock at the rear. Stopping power comes from twin discs at the front and a single unit at the back.
Also read: KTM aims to overtake Kawasaki in sales - Report
Similar to the 390 Duke, the 790 Duke would feature a TFT display with Bluetooth enabled smartphone integration to control calls and music without taking the hand off the bike.
[Source: MotoringWorld.in]
